The road from Menji to the Black Volta River passes through the center of Banda-Ahenkro, pictured here in 1982, view to the north. Earthen-walled buildings line the main street. Houses on the right-hand side have thatched roofs while those on the left have metal roofs. People walk in the center of the street as they move about town. Ahenkro, December, 1982.
Houses with metal roofs are interspersed with thatch-roofed dwellings. The house to the left has a partially constructed atakpame (coursed-earth) room in progress. To the right of this, a stand of maize (corn, bledju in Nafaanra) grows, protected from foraging goats by a hedge. The young boy, foreground, wears a school uniform. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Makala
Subjects:
Atakpame; Maize
Subjects Facet:
Gardens; Thatched roofs; Metal roofing; Corn; Housing; Building, Clay; Villages
A view of houses along the north side of Makala's wide main street, looking northwest toward the Banda hills. Visible are atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) houses with thatched roofs. The exterior walls of some buildings are plastered. The streets and areas around houses are kept clear of plants. Makala, June-July, 1990.
A view of Makala's wide main street, standing at the west edge of town, looking eastward. A mango tree grows in the street at the far end of the street. Atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) houses with thatched roofs line the street. The streets and areas around houses are kept clear of plants. Enoch Mensah (left) and Andy Black (right) stroll down the street after a day of work at Makala Kataa, the archaeological site located immediately west of Makala. Wide main streets like this one were was established in the 1920s when a British colonial District Officer implemented a "village planning" scheme. New villages were laid out next to existing settlements, and old villages abandoned as people relocated. The new villages were laid out on a grid pattern oriented by a wide main street. Archaeological excavations (1989, 1990 and 1994) at the old village site (Makala Kataa) have revealed much about daily life of Banda villagers in the late 18th and 19th centuries. See below for a link to a the 1902 Gold Coast Colony Ordinance that prompted these relocations: "Rules with Respect to Regulation of Towns and Villages." Makala, June-July, 1990. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Makala as viewed from the southwest edge of town, looking northwest. A metal-roofed atakpame (coursed earthen-walled) courtyard house is in the foreground, with thatched-roof buildings visible beyond. The Banda hills rise in the background. Paths cut through the plants that grow up to village's edge. Makala, June-July, 1990.
Exterior wall of a compound house covered by a thatched roof. The coursed earth (atakpame) wall was built in stages as rooms were added. An exterior roof support pole is visible to the left. A coconut palm, an unusual tree in this area of savanna woodland far from the coast, is visible in the background. Houses and surrounding streets are kept clear of grass and other plants. Makala, July 1994.
Large stones, some used as grindstones, are placed about the corner of this courtyard. Groundnut (peanut, boŋgrɛ in Nafaanra) shells lay on the ground at the feet of a child. A carved wooden stool appears alongside stools made from sawed boards, the latter typical of those taken to school by children each day and those used by women as they sit hearth-side while cooking. Two calabash bowls (chrԑgbͻͻ in Nafaanra) sit nearby. Makala, July, 1994.
The walls of an atakpame (coursed-earth) structure drying before the next course of earthen building material is added. Behind, to the left, a block constructed building in progress and houses with metal roofs. Dompofie, September, 1982.